Move to France
from the UK

Brits generally move to France in order to take advantage of a culturally rich, beautiful country that’s sat right on their doorstep.

For many, it’s the perfect retirement spot – not too far from the grandchildren, but with a slower pace of life and certain benefits that simply aren’t available in the UK.

The British Footprint

France is one of the most popular European destinations for British expats - roughly 170,000 registered legally, with the true figure likely closer to 250,000 once you count those who slipped through the Brexit paperwork cracks.

There are around 86,000 British nationals who own second homes here. In 2024, just over 8,400 new residence permits were issued to British citizens, down about 10% from 2023 as the dreaded post-Brexit admin friction continues to bite.

For those who can cope with the initial paperwork, there’s much to love about a new life in France.

Where Brits Cluster

• Nouvelle-Aquitaine / Dordogne - Around 40,000 Brits. The village of Eymet is roughly one-third British believe it or not; the wider area is affectionately called "Dordogneshire."
• Brittany - 12,600. Cheaper property, convenient ferry access and a more temperate mild Atlantic climate.
• Provence / Côte d'Azur - 25,000. Sun, lifestyle, significant retiree community.
• Paris / Île-de-France - 18,000. Corporate transfers, students, young professionals.
• Lyon / Rhône-Alpes - 15,000. France's second city, with a strong job market and close access to the Alps.

Daily Life: What Nobody Warns You About

France is closer to Spain than the UK when it comes to work hours. Don’t be surprised if everything closes for lunch from noon to 2pm (outside of the major urban hubs).

Sundays are sacred - supermarkets shut by 1pm, most shops don't open at all.

And for that matter, the bureaucracy is paper-heavy, entirely in French, and operates at a pace that can be frustrating to say the least.

The préfecture is the centre of your administrative universe and it runs exclusively in French.

But then you’ve got some real pleasures too - like the bakery around the corner that transforms your mornings. Weekly markets are amazing here. A good bottle of wine costs what a carton of juice costs in Tesco. You can see a GP the same day via tools like Doctolib.

The famous 35-hour working week is fairly relaxed and five weeks' paid leave is the legal minimum. The quality of life, once you're set up, is pretty hard to match in Blighty.

Who Thrives

Expats who make a genuine attempt to learn French - for a start. Those who enjoy a slower pace, don't need constant English around them, and can tolerate bureaucratic fussiness in exchange for a better quality of life.

Retirees with decent pensions, remote workers with flexible employers, and families with young children all tend to do well here.

Outside of Paris, which is a very efficient, cosmopolitan and fast-moving city, the rest of France is known for the rural appeal of the simple life.

Who Struggles

Those who refuse to learn French, need British-style efficiency, miss pub culture, or move to isolated rural areas without an established social network.

France rewards integration and punishes insularity.

Despite being incredibly close to the UK, France is quite different from its neighbour in many ways. This is particularly the case away from the cities.

Pros

• Proximity to UK - Eurostar from London to Paris in 2 hours 15 minutes, budget flights from regional airports, ferries from multiple ports
• World-class healthcare - Consistently ranked highly by WHO (often first), same-day GP access, excellent hospitals
• Food and wine culture - the legend is real, if you love food and wine, you’ll adore France.
• Lower property costs outside Paris - a three-bedroom house in the Dordogne for the price of a London studio
• Climate diversity - Mediterranean south, Atlantic west, Alpine east, continental centre
• 35-hour working week plus a legal minimum of five weeks' paid leave
• Excellent public transport - TGV high-speed rail, Paris Métro, integrated regional networks
• Strong family support - there is free preschool from age three, subsidised crèches, and some generous family allowances from the second child
• Rich cultural infrastructure - museums, theatres, festivals, architectural heritage… France goes big on grand culture
• UK state pension remains index-linked - the triple lock continues (at the time of writing), with 4.8% uprating confirmed for 2026/27

Cons

• Bureaucracy is just dreadful - paper-heavy, French-only, frequently Kafkaesque, and the préfecture system is pure headache fodder
• Post-Brexit visa complexity - third-country national status means applications, renewals, and the 90/180 Schengen rule now apply
• Language barrier - only 39% of the French population claims any English at all; France ranks 38th globally on the English Proficiency Index
• Tax and social charges easily exceed 50% - progressive income tax plus CSG/CRDS social contributions on virtually everything…
• Sunday and lunchtime closures - fine when you get used to it, but initially can cause real frustration
• Rigid inheritance law - forced heirship rules direct assets to children regardless of your wishes, and Regulation 650/2012 workarounds are not ideal
• Healthcare is not free at point of use - how it works is you pay the doctor, then claim back 70% from Sécurité Sociale, with a top-up mutuelle covering most of the rest
• Older rural property maintenance can be a nightmare - stone farmhouses look romantic… until the bloody roof needs replacing

France's healthcare system is widely regarded as one of the strongest in Europe; it was famously ranked first by the WHO (albeit back in 2000).

It operates on a pay-then-claim-back model through the state system (PUMA / Sécurité Sociale), which is supplemented by a top-up insurance called a mutuelle.

Once set up, the combination is really solid, delivering outstanding care at remarkably low out-of-pocket cost.

How It Works

After three months of legal residence, you register with your local CPAM (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie) and receive a Carte Vitale - which is basically a green smartcard that processes reimbursements automatically.

You choose your own médecin traitant (referring GP) and book appointments directly or via Doctolib, the universal online booking platform.

Costs

A standard secteur 1 GP consultation is currently 30 €. In the normal coordinated-care pathway with a declared médecin traitant, Assurance Maladie reimburses 19 € after the standard 2 € patient contribution, leaving 11 € before any mutuelle top-up.

Specialist consultations, tracked by Numbeo, come out at around £30-52. Since 1 March 2026, the forfait journalier is 23 € per day in hospital or clinic, and 17 € per day in psychiatric care.

Mutuelle (Top-Up Insurance)

A mutuelle is mandatory for employees - so employers must pay at least half the premium.

For retirees and the self-employed, basic mutuelle cover costs around £26-43 per month; mid-range cover with good dental and optical might be closer to £40-60 per month.

Without a mutuelle, the 30% gap after Sécurité Sociale reimbursement adds up quickly… especially for dental and optical care.

The First Three Months

Private health insurance is mandatory for your visa application and covers you until the CPAM registration is activated.

If you receive a UK State Pension or another qualifying exportable UK benefit, check whether you can use an S1 for French healthcare rather than relying only on the general PUMa route.

Eligible applicants can request an S1 up to 90 days before moving. For inactive residents, PUMa generally opens after 3 months of stable and regular residence in France; and for employees, registration is typically handled through the employer.

Compared to the NHS…

The first thing you can expect is much faster GP access (same-day appointments are routine), free choice of any doctor or specialist, and consistently high clinical quality.

If there’s an obvious downside, it’s that you lose the simplicity of "free at point of use."

Dental and optical care have some major gaps without a mutuelle. Mental health support is mostly private… psychologists charge anything from £40-160 per session (and reimbursement is limited).

Pharmacies

All medication in France is dispensed from behind the counter.

French pharmacists hold six-year doctorates and provide triage services - meaning they'll examine minor ailments, recommend treatments, and refer you to a GP only if necessary.

Prescription medication reimbursement ranges from 15% to 100%, but it depends on the drug's classification.

Emergencies

Call 15 for SAMU (the emergency medical service) or 112 for the pan-European number. A doctor triages every single call.

French ambulances carry both a doctor and a nurse… the treatment starts en route, not at the hospital.

France is, objectively, one of the best countries in Europe for raising a family.

Free preschool from age three, heavily subsidised childcare for younger children, famously generous family allowances, and a state school system that - while demanding - produces excellent results.

The catch to all this is that it unquestionably works best when your children speak French.

International Schools

For families who need English-medium education or plan to return to the UK, you might want to consider an international school.

Here are some popular choices:

• British School of Paris - British curriculum through to A-levels.
• Mougins School, Nice - British curriculum, strong sixth form.
• International Bilingual School of Provence, Aix - Bilingual French-English.
• International School of Lyon - IB curriculum, notably more on the affordable side.

State Schools

French state schools are free, high quality, and the default choice for most expat families who commit to integration and fully learning the language.

Children under seven typically become fluent in French within 6-12 months through total immersion.

From collège (age 11) onwards, the academic demands increase sharply and catching up linguistically becomes much harder. For this reason, we’d say that moving a 14-year-old with no French into the state system is a recipe for misery… consider bilingual or international options for older children.

Childcare

Means-tested crèches cost £40-700 per month depending on household income - compared to the UK average of £1,279 per month.

École maternelle (state preschool) is free from age three and attendance rates are near-universal.

From the second child, the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales pays family allowances of approximately £129 per month for two children… increasing with each additional child.

Family Life

Violent crime rates are lower than the UK.

Children generally enjoy more outdoor freedom in France - cycling to school, playing in parks unsupervised, community sports clubs. The school calendar includes frequent half-term breaks (every six weeks) plus some generous summer holidays. Good or bad, depending on your perspective!

The pace of family life is noticeably calmer, particularly in the south.

Is It Worth It?

France is a wonderful country to bring up children, thanks to a high standard of education from pre-school to university, and a generally safe and inclusive environment for children to thrive in.

France is excellent for families committed to language integration. Obviously, in this sense, young children adapt fastest and benefit most. The school system values academic rigour over pastoral care… it's demanding but effective.

The combination of free preschool, subsidised childcare, and family allowances makes France objectively superior to the UK for the economics of family life. But it only works if you're all-in on the French part!

Try to speak to other expat parents to work out the best schools in your area for English-speaking kids. And do this before you actually move.

As we hinted at earlier, food and drink are cherished in France and much of the country is given over to vineyards and farming.

Of course, there are pockets of glamour: Nice and Cannes on the Riviera are known for their celebrity clientele, while the Alpine resorts attract swathes of moneyed Europeans. Paris, too, is expensive and glamorous, particularly in the touristy pockets.

Here are some of the practical aspects to consider before you move:

Driving

France drives on the right.

A UK licence issued before 2021 is generally recognised in France while it remains valid, and exchange is required only in certain situations. A UK licence issued in 2021 or later is treated under the non-European exchange rules and generally must be exchanged if you settle in France. There is no test required, but processing takes 3-8 months.

A temporary attestation is issued while you wait. You must carry a high-visibility vest and warning triangle in the vehicle at all times.

Phones & Internet

French telecoms are absurdly cheap by British standards.

Free Mobile offers 250GB of 5G data for around £17 per month, including 35GB of UK roaming - no need to change your number for visits home. Fibre broadband covers over 90% of the population, delivering 1-2 Gbps from roughly £17 per month.

Compared to UK telecoms pricing, France is definitely winning this head-to-head.

Banking

Crédit Agricole's Britline service (“French banking, British thinking!”) is designed specifically for English-speaking expats and allows you to open an account remotely from the UK before you even move.

For currency transfers, our old-favourite Wise offers the best exchange rates.

Revolut is also decent and provides a French IBAN that works for domestic direct debits. You will need a French bank account, it goes without saying - virtually all recurring payments (rent, utilities, insurance) require a prélèvement automatique (direct debit) from your French account.

Language

Only 39% of the French population has English proficiency - France ranks 38th globally on the English Proficiency Index.

This means that all administration, healthcare consultations, tax correspondence, and legal processes operate in French.

Yes, you can survive without French in the short term, particularly in Paris and tourist areas, but we’d argue that you will be hard pressed to build a life without it.

Permanent residency now requires A2 level; citizenship requires B2.

Buying Property

There are no restrictions on British nationals buying property in France.

Transaction costs can go up to 7-8% on older properties (notaire fees plus taxes) but a figure of 2-3% is more common on new-builds.

Non-residents may face deposit requirements of 20-30%. Renting first for at least six months is strongly advised (as we say for most countries) - the region that enchanted you on holiday may not suit you for daily life, and the French property market moves slowly enough that you you’re not going to miss out if you wait to get settled.

Bringing Pets

For travel from Great Britain into the EU, a GB-issued pet passport is no longer valid on its own. Your pet will generally need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an Animal Health Certificate issued before travel. Once resident in France, an EU vet can issue an EU pet passport.

There is no quarantine requirement.